Sep 2020 23

Photo Archive – ColdWaves VII in Chicago, IL 2018 0

Posted In Blog,Concerts,Events,Other Articles,Photography,Show ReViews

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In these times of social distancing and isolation to quell the spread of the pandemic, the need for personal interaction and congregation is being felt around the world. The cancellation of numerous tours, shows, and festival events combined with the closure of clubs and venues has left an indelible void in the hearts of all who find solace in music. Live shows are more than a chance to see one’s favorite bands perform on a stage – they’re an opportunity for genuine human contact, the exchange of shared tastes, ideas, and emotions. In this writer’s estimation, no festival event accomplishes this more than ColdWaves; not just a celebration of the underground industrial music scene, the yearly Chicago charity festival is essentially the loudest and longest running memorial service one can think of, paying tribute to the memory of Jamie Duffy and all those artists we have lost over the years… and there have been far too many. As this year would have marked the event’s ninth entry, its cancellation and postponement to 2021 was met with great sadness. But founder and organizer Jason Novak and his associates seemed unwilling to allow that sadness to go for naught as they put together the “Lost Weekend” – conducted as a virtual festival on Twitch, each of the three nights presented a special treat for viewers, beginning with a truncated broadcast of the very first ColdWaves event from 2012, and including recorded performances by the likes of Cyanotic, Meat Beat Manifesto, DHS, Chris Connelly, and Ash Code, along with music video premieres, DJ sets, an airing of the 2350 Last Call: The Neo Story documentary, a charity auction, and more. While a virtual event can hardly hold a candle to the experience of a live show, it was clear through the numerous interactions on Twitch chat and social media that everyone watching the ColdWaves “Lost Weekend” at home was feeling the emotional release – old associations strengthened, new friendships forged, virtual tears of joy and lament shared with the collective anticipation for better things to come in 2021.

Having attended every ColdWaves since its inception, ReGen Magazine‘s editor-in-chief Ilker Yücel was unable to publish articles on ColdWaves VII in 2018 and VIII in 2019 as personal circumstances, not the least of which being the emotional toll those years took, the details of which are rather personal to myself and others. However, ReGen was indeed there, and so in keeping the spirit of ColdWaves driving forward, we are thrilled to present these galleries from the archive presenting ReGen photographer Tabetha Patton’s photos of the many live bands that performed at ColdWaves VII during the weekend of September 21-23, 2018 at The Metro in Chicago. As well, be on the lookout soon for our galleries from the following year.

We hope you enjoy them.

The Metro, Chicago, IL
Day 1: Friday, 09/21/2018

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